Popular Hague politician Richard de Mos facing suspended jail term in corruption appeal

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) recommended a six-month suspended jail sentence and 240 hours of community service on appeal against The Hague politician Richard de Mos. The chair of the Hart voor Den Haag party should be forced to pay a 100,000 euro fine and and be banned from political work for four years. He is suspected of corruption, bribery, and disclosing officially confidential information.

Jail time, community service, and fines were also recommended against fellow politician Rachid Guernaoui and five entrepreneurs. The OM said that the entrepreneurs donated significantly to the political party for their own benefit. De Mos allegedly shared secret information with the business owners he counted among his allies. "Their dealings were not crucial but are illegal. And they knew it,"
said the Attorney General representing the OM in front of the Court of Appeals in The Hague.

The Attorney General says this case concerns cronyism and "political influence with a price tag." He says the party chair and his fellow suspects tried to excuse or downplay their behavior.

“The case file shows a dirtier image. The influence was bought. The entrepreneurs were given influence on the political agenda and the decision-making. De Mos and Guernaoui crossed the line willingly." The prosecutors claim that the files show how "corruption of power in local politics" works.

The District Court acquitted all suspects last year of political corruption. One man was sentenced to a conditionally suspended four-month prison sentence for possession of a weapon.

In an unusually harsh statement, the court ridiculed the OM’s allegations. The prosecution had recommended 22 months in prison for De Mos. "Of great importance in the verdicts is the unproven malicious intent of the entrepreneurs involved in the party donations. Better yet, the donations seemed to be made with good intentions," the court ruled last year.

The OM appealed against the acquittal. The Attorney General said that the judges' verdict contains falsehoods and that they felt there was a careless approach.

The case against the 47-year-old De Mos has been ongoing for years. The working spaces used by De Mos and Guernaoui were raided in 2019 when they were still aldermen. They have denied the accusations throughout the trial, as have the entrepreneurs.

The court has not yet said when it expected to deliver a verdict.